From the Storm
by lampshaded
Summary: 121, oneshot, slight fluff, slight angst. after a mission, heero broods in the rain.


From the Storm

1+2+1, oneshot, slight fluff, slight angst.

I woke up disoriented and chilled. The small room was dark, but flashes of lightning illuminated the floral wallpaper next to my face. The air was humid and stale. I'd kicked my blanket to the foot of the bed…but it wasn't mine; I didn't own a blanket. Rain was pounding on the roof and I could hear the steady drip of a leak somewhere in the old house. The ceiling fan above me was still against the white spackle, missing one of its blades.

How'd I get here? I wondered. I was working on a full systems check in Zero…I must have fallen asleep.

Duo.

Yes, he was probably the one who brought me here; probably the source of the blanket around my ankles, too. I sat up slowly, my left arm and back complaining with stiffness. Lightning shattered the night. Thunder rumbled in the distance, growing louder until it nearly shook the old walls of the house.

I silently got out of the bed and padded through the dark house. I didn't know where I was going, but I needed to get out. After making sure the front door was unlocked, I stepped onto the wooden porch and sat on the front steps, where the rain would fall on me only if the wind blew in that direction.

My chest vibrated with the herald of the thunder that rolled across the country hills around the house. The rain spotted on my bare arms and legs as I was only wearing my tank top and stretch shorts; my face was almost hidden behind my knees. Lightning danced through the air and split the sky. It was chilly, but not cold enough to cause bodily malfunction. Not that it would've mattered much anyway; I didn't have a mission for several days, if not weeks. Somehow, the storm suited my mood.

I stood suddenly and stepped onto the stone walk in the yard, letting the rain and wind hit me. The chill grew, but seemed to come from inside of me, instead of from the storm. My heart beat at a faster tempo. Another streak of lightning and growl of thunder coursed through the night. It almost reminded me of battle.

If I closed my eyes, I could feel the chill of deep space seeping into my flight suit. The deep boom of canons and the squeal of metal against metal as suits collided. I was pushed forward by the force of a blast and a stinging stream of sparks showered down onto me.

Then I was alone. Cold and pained in a dark cell. I could see the flash of sensory lasers on the inside of my eyelids. They didn't need cameras; they had their lasers that would give you a shock if you so much as breathed wrong.

The thrum of a mobile suit coming closer, with me in its path. It was above me; my hair whipped away from my face with the force of the air around it being displaced. Strangely, the air was icy instead of hot from the engines. I was the only one in its path. I knew it wasn't going to stop.

Something warm on my shoulder made me start. I whirled around defensively, ready to kill and flee. A flash of lightning revealed my current partner, standing on the stone walk, getting wet.

I blinked at him, my brain too tired to do much else than confirm him as an ally. His hand was on my shoulder again, its warmth seeping into the skin there. He silently nodded toward the house and I stumbled forward, letting his warm hand lead me. I hesitated on the porch, looking back at the storm. I didn't want to leave it. The house was too still, too dark, too confined.

He looked back at me, then led me to the porch swing and had me sit. He left me with the storm then; he went into the house. I realized I was shivering as the wind whipped around the house. But inside I knew it was too stagnant; it would be suffocating if I went in now. Lightning lit the sky again, snaking in and out of the clouds; going over the house, where I couldn't follow it with my eyes.

I tensed at the snap of the screen door; Duo was carrying something. He sat next to me and unwrapped it—a thick blanket—, then pulled it over my head and shoulders. I clasped the front together with oddly shaking hands. I really didn't feel that cold. Maybe I was just too numb. His warm arm slid around my shoulders, I couldn't help but lean into that warmth.

"You're not fighting this war alone, yanno." His voice was nearly a whisper, as if not to disturb the dance of the rain and storm. It was as if he could read my mind. I was silent in return.

The war…I was made to be a one-man army. I wasn't anyone's partner; I was a well trained machine that wasn't fully human. But he…he was very human. He was more than a breathing tool of war. He had a mind of his own, one that functioned without a gun in his hand and a mission ringing in his ears.

His arm tightened around me slightly at a rumble of thunder. It seemed the storm was almost over, as the winds were dying and less lightning and thunder were disturbing the skies. I turned my face to him and was slightly surprised to find his turned towards mine. The night was reflected in his dark eyes as they connected with mine.

After a minute I slowly pulled the blanket open, letting the chilly air in before wrapping it around him. I pulled myself closer, with my arm curving around his lower back and his slightly damp braid brushing my skin. He drew the blanket closed around us, and the chilly air seemed to disappear entirely. Suddenly I felt tired, more tired than I'd felt in a long time. I was absolutely exhausted. Leaning heavily on him, I closed my eyes.

I trusted him. It was a new feeling, something that went against all my training, but I knew I wasn't imagining it. I was supposed to handle of myself and the mission alone. But there wasn't a mission right now…I was an unwanted weapon at the moment. He was the only one who could take care of me.

We sat under that blanket all night, with only our faces showing to the rest of the world. I was glad he was with me; I knew I wouldn't have gone back inside that house and it would've been very cold without him.

I lifted my head from the warmth of his neck and into the bright sunlight of the sun barely above the horizon. The blanket flopped down into my eyes, but there was no mistaking the clear skies of painted color that were in front of them. Looking down, I could see the morning light staining Duo's pale skin with pink.

His eyelids fluttered slightly, but he didn't wake as I pulled an escaped thread of hair away from his cheek. His breath was steady, through his nose. It was another reminder of how human he really was; just a sleeping boy. Sliding back into the warm and comfortable position I'd been sleeping in, I could feel his pulse, his steady heartbeat. I let it seep into me along with his warmth. Maybe some of his humanity would follow.

C&C's are appreciated :)

hugs & luv to my beta and support, cry'tal


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